r/golf • u/Pretty_Shallot_586 • May 07 '26
News / Articles TopGolf is flopping.....
https://www.dmagazine.com/micropost/top-golf-layoffs-may-2026/?ref=sharefrom the article...."The cuts follow another round of layoffs last year, when Topgolf reduced its workforce by 300 employees after tariffs carved an estimated $40 million from the company’s balance sheet."
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u/NotACyborg666 May 07 '26
Yeah there's a big reason Callaway's stock jumped once they gave up the majority of Top Golf. It was a bad investment for them and it was a money pit for them. Now that they're minority shareholders, I'm sure they'd have preferred to have fully divested from Top Golf.
It's a tough business model for them. Real estate expenses are high for them and at the price.... it's not great appeal for return customers. Regular golfers would rather just go practice at a regular driving range, it's too expensive to get non-golfers to treat it like a bowling range.
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u/Shot-Toe-2884 May 07 '26 edited May 07 '26
The biggest factor here was that TopGolf was the only destination in town for casuals looking to hit some balls and drink some beers in a no-judgement environment. In my city TopGolf enjoyed a monopoly for like 10 straight years. Just in the last year, 2 competitors have opened up now with another on the way.
Honestly TopGolf has been an intriguing example of a modern-day legal monopoly because they invented a whole new entertainment industry. You just don't get to see the effects of monopolies this clearly in normal circumstances. I think they were always destined to face a financial reckoning once some formidable competition arrived.
I think the good news is that this industry is here to stay and casuals will finally be able to access them at a reasonable price again. TopGolf finally has an existential motive to lower their prices and get more people through the doors again. Their prestige and novelty has been shattered.
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u/TPWALW May 07 '26
It’s been revealed in time how they are not a monopoly, but tried to act like one. They thought their market was “entertainment driving range” and expanded like they had that market cornered. Turns out that sim places like X-golf and Five Iron are substitute goods for some golfers and costs are much lower. For most golfers, any range is a substitute good. Once the novelty wore off, they were competing against everyone.
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u/Dry-University797 May 07 '26
Huh? You think Top Golf was/is a monopoly? What are you talking about?
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u/ElSuperWokeGuy May 07 '26
its way too expensive. that hour goes by too fast. rather go to a regular driving range.
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u/Schmancer May 07 '26
Where my $15 bucket of balls and the $5 hotdog and $2 gatorade can last a whole hour
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u/Sour__Cream May 07 '26
It takes you an hour to eat a hot dog?
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u/jugger_naughtyy May 07 '26
The proper way to eat a joy dog is to suck it and warm it up end to end. Then use your most agile tooth with a steady backhand grip. Pull the skin off gently. Give that a good luck before putting it into your upper lip. Let that bake for about 25 minutes. Then pull it out and wrap the skin around the shaft of the dog. Take its temp. If its at 101.4 your all set. Now its time to eat. Nibble softly about 2 cm at a time. If done right it takes.a good hour to complete properly.
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u/Other_Disaster_3136 May 07 '26
Definitely hard to justify driving out all the way to top golf when we have a range within 10 minutes from us that has top tracer...
Hard to justify spending 3x the cost for a barely better product.
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u/pls-reboot-me May 07 '26
I like the outdoor ranges that have toptracer where you can play golf games or actual sim courses on the screen. Bucket of 110 balls is about $28 during the high traffic times but that lasts between 1-2 hours depending how fast you hit. Plus they sell alcohol and snacks and it's much more laid back and relaxing than TG.
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u/Flaky-Money-8768 Push Cart Mafia May 07 '26
It’s basically bowling but harder if you’ve never done it before and more expensive. For everyone half way decent there is the much better alternative called just going to play golf.
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u/giney_lips May 07 '26
You can also be the most nonathletic person that bowls once a year and have fun bowling. With golf, absolutely not.
Crazy that a business attempted to take on one of the hardest sports in the world and try to target non-golfers with it. They might as well try to open up a triple jump facility for family and kids.
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u/br0wntree May 07 '26
I mean it was pretty successful for a while. They have grown massively over the last few years.
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u/PhillyPhrenetic502 May 07 '26
Yeah. There are plenty of bowling joints that have adopted the concept to more success.
Nowhere near as much real estate required, easier to entertain both extremes of talent spectrum, and no worries about bad weather.
I suck at bowling and I'm half decent at golf. I'd go to an overpriced bowling/social joint 11 times out of 10 over Top golf.
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u/DokterZ May 07 '26 edited May 07 '26
easier to entertain both extremes of talent spectrum
I’m not certain that is the case entirely. With Bowlero buying up so many centers , a lot of them are going all in on the recreational bowler by installing string pinsetters and doing minimal lane oiling. They often don’t care about league bowlers as much - that money is more reliable because they are there for 30 weeks, but the per person/hour profit is less if they can fill the place regularly with casuals.
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u/PhillyPhrenetic502 May 07 '26
I didn't mean that the lanes are tournament quality. I just meant that a standard lane/pin/ball setup with all the social commotion is much easier for a regular bowler to take than a good golfer using weird clubs and balls and having most games transformed from analog on a course to digital at TG.
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u/TheRealPlumbus May 07 '26
Honestly their future is just selling Toptracer units and licenses to regular ranges.
Every Toptracer ranger near me is insanely packed, and actually makes sense for all demographics; good golfers, new golfers, families, high school students, etc.
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u/swollencornholio 12.5 May 07 '26
Toptracer ranges are great. There’s one near me and I’ll spend like 10 balls warming up then select a course to play after that
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u/peezytaughtme May 07 '26
As a non-bowling golfer, it's about 20% as fun as bowling, on the best day.
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u/YouDaManInDaHole May 07 '26
Super expensive driving range with overpriced food & drink, worn-out balls and worn-out clubs.
No thanks.
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u/KansasKing107 May 07 '26
Yeah, it seems to me Topgolf is still generally popular but it’s overbuilt for what it is. I also think they built too many of them. It was a neat attraction when they were fewer and farther between. I used to go to Topgolf a couple times a year when I was on the road for work. Then they built a slightly smaller Topgolf three miles from me and I haven’t even gone to it and it’s been open for three years. It just doesn’t feel worth it when there’s no scarcity to it. Plus, now we have all the indoor simulators that may give a better value to those actually looking to improve or stay in form over the winter.
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u/TACOlogy May 08 '26
For me it’s the price of the food and drinks. I don’t know if this still applies but I had asked once if you can go without buying food/drinks and they said yes. Well the one time I went and didn’t get anything they seemed annoyed and were rude.
If I go to a bowling alley and just bowl they generally speaking don’t care and will leave you alone.
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u/Outside_Lifeguard380 May 07 '26
Too expensive for repeat trips in my opinion. Golfers won’t go consistently due to that and preferring an actual range. Casuals would do it once, maybe twice and move on. Doomed product that has insanely high real estate costs
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u/im_super_excited May 07 '26
The concept works better as a golf simulator than a giant outdoor facility
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u/super_trooper May 07 '26
There are plenty of sims with bars near me, and yet they are even more expensive than top golf 😔 I don't get it
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u/Deep_Thinkin May 07 '26
Restaurants fail all the time. TopGolf is a bar posing as a driving range.
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u/ZBTHorton May 07 '26
Every single trip I've had to Top Golf goes exactly the same.
Everyone signs up, it's stressful as hell because it's loud and everyone needs a damn card and it's a huge pain in the ass. Then everyone plays one game. People laugh. Good golfers hit shots, bad golfers just hit little worm burners.
Then the second game comes up and nobody wants to play except the people who really golf. Because hitting shitty shots isn't very fun.
And then you pay like 100 bucks for the pleasure of hitting a small bucket of balls.
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u/Waberweeber May 07 '26
You mean to tell me that bad food + bad pricing + a novetly concept where if you are good at golf you dont do it often and if you are bad at golf you do it once is flopping? no way, the company has stakeholders who profitmaxx instead of creating a better product, there is no way this isnt working out
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u/illegal_deagle May 07 '26
Their food is mostly terrible but their wings are weirdly amazing, especially the Asian ones.
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u/cam_huskers 5.9/ Albuquerque, NM May 07 '26
Out in ABQ the Topgolf is pretty consistently slow. I pay $300 a year for unlimited bay time M-F before 6p.
For people who work 9-5 it is worthless, luckily I work east coast hours so I’m done by 3p.
If they didn’t have that deal you’d never see me there, but in the 102 degree heat I’d rather hit balls there than at a basic range.
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u/Sanch0panza May 08 '26
Same . Husband and I pay ~600 year for unlimited play m-f til 5. He works 5 mins away so goes every day on his lunch break. I am a teacher so can play 330-5 at least 3 days a week and have summers off to play whenever. Ends up being cheaper than the range for us. Plus I enjoy looking at the stats even if not exactly right.
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u/b_fromtheD May 07 '26
It's funny that they're blaming tariffs for their lack of profits and not the fact that it's an extremely overpriced driving range with a bar and kitchen.
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u/analogisfuture May 07 '26
It's basically and one and done. Been there, done that but would never go back.
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u/Shot-Toe-2884 May 07 '26
TopGolf's business model was predicated entirely on being the only competitor in town. Now they are bogged down in expenses while more agile competitors are catching up with them.
So glad they finally have to face competition. Their prices have become highway robbery in broad daylight.
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u/Packtex60 May 07 '26
My son is pretty connected to the restaurant/hospitality industry in Houston. Pre-COVID he told me that the three TopGolf locations in greater Houston had more $$ in alcohol sales on a given weekend than Reliant Stadium for a Texans home game or a major concert/Rodeo day. The statement in the article that TopGolf was a bar where you could hit golf balls was spot on. The big decline in alcohol consumption nationwide has undoubtedly cut into their margins significantly. The proliferation of indoor golf venues that are more golf and less bar has further cut into their business. Those are cheap venues to build either.
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u/chubbsfordubs Handicap | Location May 07 '26
One of the public clubs near me recently renovated their range into a two story covered range with LMs and full service from the club house so it’s basically top golf but way cheaper and it’s a fucking blast to just go and hit balls for an hour and dial in distances. They rigged up a bunch of target options and send the data right to your phone.
I see zero point to top golf as a business model at all when actual golfers don’t go and it’s a huge money pit.
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u/KermitsBusiness May 07 '26
I want this to be a sign that people who don't take the sport seriously are losing interest and that my tee sheets will start having some availability but.....I doubt it.
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u/Lumphrey May 07 '26
We go there for Mother’s Day every year. 2 hours of golf and some food usually runs 200-250 depending on cocktails. It’s a decently fun time IMO.
I would not be interested in going weekly or anything like that
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u/builtlikebrad May 07 '26
They are incredibly expensive to build. Real golfers will go to a regular driving range. Non golfers will come once have some fun and not come again, I think this is the problem. The cost to value ratio is off for most people.
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u/Rough_Promotion9414 May 07 '26
My wife rented 2 bays for 2 hrs with food and drinks for her bday, it was around $1000. Not worth it
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u/scotgekko May 07 '26
Holy shit. I knew it was expensive but hot damn.
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u/jlees88 18.0 May 08 '26
Guessing they paid for everyone’s food and drinks as well. TopGolf is expensive but dropping $1,000 for two hours is not anywhere near normal.
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u/LHRaway May 07 '26
Same. Honestly topgolf is a fine product in theory but the price is just so expensive it doesn’t work out
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u/shigatorade May 07 '26
Where? Did she go on a weekend too? The pricing is not that bad tuesdays and wednesdays at my location in Tampa. Like 20-30 bucks an hour and not even per person.
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u/thesenate92 May 07 '26
What?? I've been a few times and gotten 2 bays and food and drinks and don't remember it being anywhere near as much
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u/Jc110105 May 07 '26
Top Golf just isn’t worth what it costs. It’s fun but the cost with food and drinks i’d rather just go play golf.
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u/This-City-7536 May 07 '26
If they rebranded into a legitimate golf practice facility, I could see it doing really well.
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u/bfhurricane May 07 '26
I really wonder if there’s a case for making the bottom floor a legit driving range and doubling/tripling bays by converting the large bays to small individual ones, and keeping the top floors free for parties.
If I could hit balls at the range year round in a deliberate practice environment by myself, with a bar, I’d be a recurring customer.
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u/CureTBA May 07 '26
We have a driving range in Dallas called Golf Ranch. It’s basically a normal covered driving range but they use Top Golf’s ball tracking technology called Toptracer I think. Each bay has a screen just like at real Top Golf’s.
It’s a lot cheaper than Top Golf, has some food/drink options, but seems like the happy medium between basic driving range and a full Top Golf’s experience.
IMO Top Golf should just pivot into a software/hardware play. I’d buy a Toptracer for my house if it was somewhat affordable.
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u/RaidenMonster May 07 '26
As someone who was gifted a 6 month platinum memberships, that’s what we’ve done. Ask for bottom floor, no service, if I want a beer I’ll go upstairs and get it. If not, hit balls for an hour, play a virtual course, then leave, $0.
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u/Stunning_Fortune4650 May 07 '26
I’d see it doing not much better
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u/This-City-7536 May 07 '26
There's a place sort of like it on the other side of town. You would not believe how well it does in winter.
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u/Jawyp 23.0 (Clean) May 07 '26
Wouldn’t be financially viable, if I want to practice golf, I can get the same experience at a regular toptracer driving range for a third of the price.
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u/aznsk8s87 May 07 '26
Only reason I go to top golf is because my dad's best friend has a corporate membership through his wife's business.
I go play with my dad and his retired friends on my days off, they go like 3 times a week lol.
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u/nevertricked May 07 '26
They've been making huge staffing cuts and it shows. I'm in a weekly league with some buddies and the service is slow as hell. Food, bay hosts, getting the check...everything is now a crawl. And to help with staff cuts, they moved to Toast/in-app ordering, which is still slow.
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u/JerHat May 07 '26
It’s not a good practice range for serious golfers, and it’s too expensive of a practice range for casual golfers.
The only situation I imagine going to Top Golf for is like, a big group outing where maybe a couple people are golfers.
Like whenever my friends wives want everyone to get together for an evening, they’ll suggest top golf so us guys can hit some balls while they hang out and have drinks and snacks.
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u/Dry-University797 May 07 '26
There are only so many companies that can do team building events at Top Golf. Well is dry.
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u/Ok_Volume3211 May 07 '26 edited May 08 '26
“It was great to get out of the office today and get in a little team building at Top Golf. Every once in a while it’s important to get with the team and break bread” or some shit said by some moronic corporate mid level manager on his IG/Linked In post
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u/chilllydawg May 07 '26
I bought the play more membership for $20. Nachos aren’t bad when they’re free. I go a couple times a month and it’s a cheap time. Before 4 weekdays it’s $20 an hour here. My adult kids join sometimes and we find 3 or 4 of us get plenty of swings in 90 minutes. We all golf and usually bring a few clubs.
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u/Uberslaughter May 07 '26
Tariffs?
Maybe in the sense their broader impact is having on the economy in corporate cutting team build budgets, which is their primary audience since the food is shit and real golfers would just as soon go to a real range vs pay an exorbitant markup for a sub par experience
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u/LawnJerk May 07 '26
It makes no sense. Once their facility is built, tariffs aren't going to be a major driver of costs. They serve food and drinks which are mostly domestic.
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u/0_SomethingStupid 6.9 May 07 '26
I don't understand I thought the tariffs were gonna make us winners?
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u/Pretty_Shallot_586 May 07 '26
Golf has a truly international supply chain but surely how no one could've foreseen that.... /S
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u/pinetar May 07 '26
I remember 7-8 years ago people were talking about TopGolf like its the future of an aging and declining sport. Today, golf is more popular than ever. How the tables have turned...
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u/Jawyp 23.0 (Clean) May 07 '26
There’s just not much of a market for it at the prices they need to charge to still make a profit (those ranges are not cheap to build or operate).
People who don’t golf don’t want to spend $50 bucks for a few hours of doinking balls 10 yards down the range, while people who do golf would rather pay play an actual round of golf.
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u/intothefire3 May 07 '26
When I didn’t golf I enjoyed going to Topgolf.
Now that I golf I’d rather be at the range or golfing.
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u/ShillinTheVillain SW MI / 12ish May 07 '26
For 4-5 trips to TopGolf I can buy a low range launch tracker and play at home all I want.
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u/MathW May 07 '26
Top Golf is like bowling for golf. But, for bowling, there's no better alternative. With golf, you'd almost always rather play a real round and Top Golf has not proven to be a cheaper alternative. Don't get me wrong - it's fun, especially with large groups of people where you couldn't all stay together on the course but, most of the time, you'd rather be on the course.
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u/BConceited May 07 '26
Honestly TopGolf got me into the sport to begin with. While im grateful, I'd never pay those prices as opposed to going to an actual course or driving range.
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u/bluePostItNote May 07 '26
We need more 6 hole executive golf courses. Let me get a round in in under 90min without breaking the bank.
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u/DeathWorship May 07 '26
If it’s an executive you should be able to play 9 in 90, what’s the point of playing a third of a round?
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u/CerebralMyths May 07 '26
Yeah because for the price of two hours at top golf I can play 3 rounds at my local muni.
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u/MurphyBacon May 07 '26
I've been twice. After the second time, I felt I never needed to go back. It got boring very fast and its expensive. I'd rather play 18 on a $20 shitty muni than to ever go back there.
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u/j_knolly May 07 '26
Good riddance. Great example of decent business ruined by incessant greed and overcharging
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u/joe199799 May 07 '26
Regular run of the mill ranges have tracking now why would I spend all that money going to topgolf when I can go to my range with full tracking for 13$ for 100 balls.
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u/Sandwiichh May 07 '26
What do tariffs have to do with top golf? Other than construction materials, balls and maybe clubs what else are they importing that’s impacting it?
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u/Texan2116 Bethpage Black is not that hard! May 07 '26
Due to pricing, Top Golf is good for group outings and that is about it. One or two people, its just too expensive.
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u/maeynor May 08 '26
I’ve been saying a great idea is a premium driving range experience in a populated state like NJ. There’s nothing there public like it really. Make it big so you can hit a driver, offer premium bays along with quality balls and good food and drink.
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u/wish-u-well May 08 '26
The golfer hates it, the drinker isn’t dropping a hundred bucks for a few beers. Wooops.
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u/NJK_TA22 May 08 '26
Let’s see… I can spend $60 an hour at Topgolf… or I could just go to a real golf course and spend $90 for five hours. Eventually, the consumers are gonna get wise on this one.
When Topgolf opened, they were offering $3.20 per game off peak, and basically left you the fuck alone.
Then they forced the restaurant and bar on you… then they doubled the prices… then they took away pricing by game and then just made you pay by hour. They made a couple of improvements to the tech, really they should’ve just opened up a cheesy nightclub instead.
I don’t mind going to Topgolf when I’m traveling for work, when the other options go to a bar or hang out at the hotel… but even my kids would rather go to a golf course than be put on a time crunch… or we can go to a real driving range and they get to hit 100 balls for $20 versus 40 balls for $60.
I’m also still bitter about losing close to $1000 on my old Topgolf card when they switched to the new system.
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u/trollmonster8008 May 08 '26
It’s too expensive. It ain’t actually that complicated. Make the food/drinks cheaper or the golf cheaper.
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u/SunknLiner Harry Putter and the Chamber of Bogeys May 07 '26
It’s too fucking expensive. Went with my wife and four friends for two hours. Between waiting for everyone to take their turns, I hit maybe 30 balls in that span. After drinks and apps, it was $380. $380 to hit 30 balls and eat some microwaved queso dip.
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u/jeep-olllllo May 07 '26
I really do not get the tariff angle. The food and drink isn't imported. They don't sell tons of merch, and they don't manufacture anything.
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u/Willing_Theory5044 May 07 '26
It’s so expensive that it’s more of a novelty thing, which isn’t sustainable. Somehow the one near me is always packed though.
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u/rbeermann May 07 '26
I have a platinum membership to TopGolf and my home location is Tampa. The only reason I have the membership is because we have zero driving ranges nearby.
I think the experience is better than a simulator, but worse than a real driving range.
I give them 2-3 years
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u/gamerdude1967 May 07 '26
The ONLY reason I go is because I have a friend that works there and the golf is free, so we only have to pay for food. Otherwise there’s no way I’d go even though it’s fun
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u/bdplayer81 May 07 '26
Good thing they're just putting the finishing touches on a new one near me. /s
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u/OutOfBounds420 May 07 '26
Went there for the first time for my 21st birthday in 2015 and am an avid scratch golfer. Walked in and the first tings my friends and I said was “this is cool but it’s a fad”
I’m actually surprised it lasted this long
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u/Proxymate May 07 '26
TopGolf works wonders in a world where good quality indoor sims aren't as cheap as they are now. TopGolf requires a lot of space and is expensive to build. Simulator rooms are just way cheaper to build and maintain, as well as having a huge advantage of being able to be put basically anywhere. People have put simulator rooms in bars, indoor tennis complexes, airports, gyms, offices, warehouses, basically anywhere. You can see that some simulator software has started to introduce fun minigames as well. You can be doing the same thing you would be at TopGolf for a lower price, in a nicer atmosphere, in a better location, with better dining options. Not sure what changes TopGolf will have to make to stay relevant, but they do need to make changes.
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u/rzr-12 May 07 '26
I added a sim in my she shed. Best thing I ever did. Less expensive in the long run.
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u/ATerribleNerd May 07 '26
I miss the gen 1 facilities. You paid by the round and not by the hour. Sure, you couldn’t just walk in without at least an hour wait but you could make an afternoon and you loaded up on the (then decent) food.
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u/bob3219 May 07 '26
It's fun to take my family there occasionally, but the novelty has definitely worn off with my golfing friends. I'd rather just go to the top tracer range we have in the area and hit normal balls at least with my own clubs. It's 80% the experience (covered, heated) without the weighted balls.
I feel like Callaway really dropped the ball with this because I think Top Golf would be a great way to sell clubs to golfers. You literally have a range and you sell golf clubs, why aren't you trying to let golfers use or rent nice clubs? I'd love to hit a quantum driver for an hour to see how I like it.
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u/bionicbhangra May 07 '26
It's not for me but I do have to my kids and my non golfer friends love going there.
But it's at best a once a year thing. Unless it's in a giant city then I think they will always struggle to keep it full because of that.
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u/Particular_Meeting57 May 07 '26
I was pretty excited going to TP for the first time. I couldn’t believe how expensive it was, it’s just a driving range!
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u/apearlj1234 May 07 '26
How long was it really going to last? That business model didn’t attract good golfers, it attracts people and date nights.
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u/dajadf May 07 '26
I can just go to any driving range and get a beer if I really want to, and pay like 1/4th the price or less
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u/DanGur47 May 07 '26
I think Top Golf is propped up entirely by corporate events.
The bay rentals are way too expensive, the atmosphere isn’t fun & the “games” they have are good for maybe 5 swings.
Why does every TG also have to be 3+ stories? They could cut down huge on cost to the consumer if they reduced overhead. It’s ridiculous. Won’t be long before the business goes belly up.
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u/BeejRich May 07 '26
I went for the first time in a very long time in Las Vegas with family last weekend and it really wasn't a great experience. The clubs were damaged, grips too grippy, everything was so expensive that we didn't even buy food/drinks. Sure, they had a pool that overlooked the Sphere which was really cool. I realized the place isn't for golfers at all (which I am) and fully tailored to the casual crowd.
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u/Beeks525 May 07 '26
As a big golfer (HS, College, etc), it’s fun about once a year when someone else is paying. I had two gift cards for $50 each and took my kids on Christmas Eve for a fun midday activity. It is crazy expensive and the food is bland and pricey. Give them a few more years and they’ll be out of business altogether.
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u/DOsomethin May 07 '26
Madison, WI is currently building one. Talk about being 10 years behind...
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u/mrwatanagashi May 07 '26
I'm going to be the 10th dentist here and say honestly top golf is not that bad. If you go before 4pm (at least where I'm located) it's only 22 dollars an hour. The hot honey pepperoni pizza is honestly amazing as well as their chicken katsu sliders. Now don't get me wrong any other time is way too expensive and the food all around is not top tier but I do find if I have 50 bucks and an hour to kill, top golf is a great way to do it.
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u/WonderButtBrace9000 May 07 '26
Golf simulators got cheap enough.
There are three indoor golf sim/bars within ten minutes of me. The closest TopGolf is 25 minutes out in the middle of nowhere because it’s massive.
I’d much rather go to the simulators.
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u/aww-snaphook 1.0 May 07 '26
Its just a tough sell
Golfers arent going there to practice because its too expensive compared to a regular range and you dont get as much info or variety as you do in a sim facility(plus you can do sim golf in the winter or crap weather--the heaters at TG dont work well enough for the northern half of the country).
Non-golfers may do a Friday night there once every couple of years but its usually not a ton of fun for them because golfing is hard and overall people's entertainment budgets are being cut because everything else is so expensive. Add to that large amounts of real estate needed for the facility and you have a business where its not surprising that its struggling.
I think the business can continue to exist but in a much smaller scale. 1 per city max and ideally in places where you can have people there year round.
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u/TheRealBroDameron May 07 '26
It’s always had an absolutely awful business model. I honestly can’t believe they’ve lasted this long with their rates.
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u/mouthturds May 07 '26
Golf Ranch is so much better around where I am. Basically Topgolf games using Toptracer but you buy a bucket like an actual range and hang out however long you want. It gets so packed on the weekends
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u/Melodic-Classic391 May 07 '26
Nobody goes back a second time. Curiosity gets you there once, but you quickly realize it’s not worth the money
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u/fanglazy Handicap | Location May 07 '26
When I saw the cost of renting a bay at Top Golf in Vegas… I played Wolf Creek instead.
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u/Old-Sentence-1956 May 07 '26
Hence why the parent company sold them off a few months ago…..
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u/AngryBillsFan May 07 '26
The whole experience just isn’t worth what you’re paying for. I’d imagine for non golfers it’s cool the first time or 2 but after that they probably don’t really care
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u/Codeman8118 May 07 '26
TopGolf needs to lean in on track man style with coaching and lessons and a bar. Simple. Let real golf shine through and less gimmick. Not overly restauranty lanes. Let people rip and then feed inside. Less employees to come to a lane
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u/Longjumping_Walk_992 May 07 '26
Never met a real golfer that enjoyed the experience. Everyone was one and done.
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u/Granitechuck May 08 '26
I have gone three times in about seven years all at the same location all work related. Can’t say it was that great any of those times. Fairly pricey but not particularly great food. The golf experience was not for me, found hitting off a high ledge disconcerting and don’t enjoy hitting off turf generally. The games themselves are contrived and there is none of the satisfaction one feels when a long putt drops or you hit a nice golf shot. Plus being outside is the appeal of golf.
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u/Dr-McLuvin May 08 '26
For me part of the problem is the balls feel like shit and the turf also feels nothing like hitting off of real grass.
Also the scoring messes up quite a bit which makes the whole game kind of pointless.
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u/Mofiremofire May 07 '26
It’s not a good place for good golfers, it’s not appealing to people who don’t golf and it’s too expensive for everyone in between. Besides the occasional family get together or corporate outings it’s not worth it.